The SL Team’s Top Art & Theatre Recommendations
Nana Acheampong
Fashion Editor & Broadcaster
“I have only heard good things about Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. The play is rooted in the experience of Black women and the culture of hair salons, particularly within African and African-American communities. It’s an environment that feels instantly recognisable to me – from the conversations and humour to the tensions and unspoken sense of community that only really exists when you’re sat in a braiding chair for hours on end. At its core, though, it goes beyond that specific setting. It’s about the dynamics of female friendships and workplace relationships – the kind that are layered, complex and, ultimately, universal.
“I can’t wait to see To Kill a Mockingbird when it comes to London, especially as one of my dear friends, Aaron Shosanya, is starring in it. It’s such a powerful story and what really strikes me is how its exploration of racial injustice feels just as relevant today as it did in the 1930s. That’s what makes it more than just a classic – it’s a play that still challenges, provokes and resonates in a very real way.
“The Black Sound London exhibition is one I genuinely can’t wait to see; it celebrates the music I grew up with, so it already feels incredibly personal. From what I’ve seen, it brings together the sounds and stories that have shaped Black British culture from reggae and soul to grime and beyond, and I love the idea of experiencing that in such an immersive, curated way. It’s not just about the music itself but the communities, memories and cultural impact behind it. I’m also so excited that V&A East is right on my doorstep.
“Tate Britain’s The 90s exhibition doesn’t open until October but it’s already firmly on my list. Edward Enninful OBE has stepped in as guest curator for what already feels like one of the season's most exciting exhibitions – it will bring together art, design, fashion and music, all of which collided during this period to create one powerful cultural movement. As a 90s child, this will be pure nostalgia for me.”
Lucia Hawley
Shopping Copy Associate
“Margot Robbie recommended 1536 at the Ambassadors Theatre on Table Manners and given my obsession with all things Henry VIII, I was immediately sold. Set in the year of Anne Boleyn's execution, it follows three women in rural Essex grappling with the king's actions and the very modern parallels they raise. Starring Liv Hill, Siena Kelly and Tanya Reynolds, it's been nominated for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards and runs until 1st August.
“Since moving to London, I've become completely fascinated by the royals – so cliché, I know. So the new exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, feels perfectly timed. Marking the centenary of her birth, it's the largest display of the late Queen's fashion ever staged, with 300 pieces spanning every decade of her life – from her 1947 Norman Hartnell wedding dress to her iconic tweed suits. It runs at Buckingham Palace through October and I cannot think of a better excuse to finally make it there.”
Jenn George
Beauty Director
“I saw the Scissor Sisters at Glastonbury last year and it was an unexpected highlight – so camp and so much joy! Since Mighty Hoopla festival in Brockwell Park is already known for those things, I know the combination will be amazing. The other acts? Five, Cascada, Liberty X… cheesy perfection.
“My sister is a costume maker, with a focus on period and historical making, so I’ve also booked her tickets to the new exhibition of the late Queen’s wardrobe. To see her clothes worn through her whole life, including some of her most recognisable items like her wedding dress, will be amazing. My sister is obsessed with fabric and embroidery and detail, so I suspect we’ll take a few hours to walk through all the pieces on show.”
Georgina Blaskey
Senior Homes & Interiors Editor
On the theatre front, I recently saw Romeo & Juliet. Starring Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as Juliet and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, Hamnet) as Romeo in their West End debuts, Robert Icke (Oedipus) directs Shakespeare’s timeless, tragic tale of love and innocence for a limited season. With a large digital clock displayed intermittently, we are shown how bad timing and a series of missteps lead to the tragic ending we know is coming, but occasionally – and heartbreakingly – the clock rewinds and we see how things might have turned out differently. Sadie Sink portrays Juliet as quick-witted and fiercely intelligent, as she morphs from a love-struck teenager to a steely young woman, determined to control her own destiny, while Noah Jupe’s boyish charm conveys a Romeo completely besotted. In fact, the chemistry between the two stars is so pure and their delivery of Shakespearean verse so fresh, they lead this modern reinterpretation faultlessly.
In terms of exhibitions, the UK’s first retrospective of Elsa Schiaparelli spans the 1920s to the present day. It’s at the V&A until November and I’m definitely planning on heading down. traces the fashion house’s groundbreaking origins and its evolution under the current creative director, Daniel Roseberry. From a European designer creating ‘Pour Le Sport’ collections to a refined couturier who dressed film stars and royalty to a surrealist artist who collaborated with Picasso and Dali, it’s a wonderful delve into a lifetime’s work and Schiaparelli’s legacy.
I’ll also be seeing this new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which opens on 4th June. In celebration of the Hollywood star’s 100th birthday, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait explores the life, career and enduring legacy of the screen icon through striking portraits by leading artists and photographers. Works by Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty and Marlene Dumas sit alongside images by era-defining names such as Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon, highlighting Monroe’s collaborative spirit and creative control. Personal artefacts, from scripts to clothing, add further insight into the woman behind the myth.
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